Page 67 of Wrecked for Love
A breath, then the confession poured out of her. “I told you the truth when I said I had a brother, Cody. He died saving me. I had a severe fungal infection in my left lung—it was almost completely destroyed. They had to remove it.”
That long scar on her body—I knew it could only have come from something serious.
She went on slowly, as if she didn’t want to continue. “Cody. He was desperate. He was never going to let me die. With our parents gone, fear pushed him to do the unthinkable. He joined a gang called The Revenants. They were stealthy and ruthless, and that night…everything went wrong.”
She paused, struggling to hold it together, but she managed. No tears, no tremble in her voice as she continued, “I tried to save him. But I was too late. I saw him die. That was when one of the men stabbed me.” She gestured to her back. “I’ve got the scar to prove it, Elia.”
I gave a slow blink, letting her know I believed her.
She added, “But I managed to shoot him dead.”
It must’ve been one of the victims who had been killed with a gun that didn’t belong to anyone left at the scene. It was clear now—it was hers. However she’d done it, her will to survive was undeniable.
More questions swirled in my head, but I let her continue.
“I didn’t want to leave Cody, but I knew I had to. I took The Revenants’ money—the money belonging to their leader, Gideon Purcell. Well, technically, it was Cody’s,” she explained. “I knew I had to run, but I was losing blood fast. I thought I was going to die too…until Dr. Ashbourne found me.”
I huffed, no longer able to hold back. “Did you kill him too, Claire?”
“No! No!” Her denial was instant, almost panicked. “He saved my life. I was in Idaho when he was murdered.”
The pieces started to fall into place. “I know about his daughter. So he just gave you her identity?”
She nodded. “I think…maybe I reminded him of her.”
The weight of it all crashed down—her lies, her pain, the truth of who she really was. She’d been braver than I ever could have imagined. How could I ever accuse her of something evil?
I understood why the doctor had protected her all those years ago, why he’d let her live as his daughter. I felt the same pull now. She was telling the truth. It was written all over her face, shining through her eyes.
“And Armand Voss. He was at The Willow!” she interjected, as though reminding me how I’d reacted to her then.
I hadn’t believed her at the time, but now? As much as I didn’t want it to be true, I believed her. Armand Voss had been there, and he’d gone after her.
“He tried to…” Her breathing escalated, but then she yelled, “Fuck him! Just…fuck him!”
Anger and heartbreak hit me all at once. She didn’t want to say it, but I knew. That disgraceful bastard had tried to assault her. He deserved what was delivered to him. But damn me, how the hell had I let it happen?
“Claire…” I reached out to her, wanting to comfort her. I’d never associated fear with her before, but it was all over her. No one could fake that kind of terror.
She pulled back, and I understood. Comfort from me was the last thing she wanted after I’d turned my back on her.
The pull to hold her was nearly unbearable, but I respected her space—she needed it more than my arms around her. But I couldn’t stay quiet. “I’m sorry he did that to you. And I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”
“I hit him with a hammer. God knows how many times!” she said when her composure returned. “I’m not playing a game. I’m not trying to trick you. If anything, I came back because I wanted to protect you. I was running away then, Elia. No joke. I was ready to leave Buffaloberry the moment I realized I’d taken down Armand Voss.”
I shut my eyes, grappling with the reality of it all—the near miss, or whatever you’d call it—that I’d almost lost her before we even had this conversation. “I believe you, Claire.”
She nodded her head slowly.
And then it hit me. The Voss family knew. That’s why the place had been wiped clean. They wouldn’t go to the police; that wasn’t their way. They handled things themselves. But that also meant they’d come for Claire. They’d deal with her, too, in their own twisted, brutal way.
My blood chilled at the thought.
“I’m gonna go to the sheriff,” she conceded. “Now that you know the truth, I’m going to confess everything. If The Revenants find me, I’ll be ready. If the Vosses want me, so be it. As long as you’re safe.”
The hell I’d let that happen!
“Uh-uh.” I shook my head adamantly.
